Portfolio-drawer



F. S. BRAID.

PORTFOLIO DRAWER.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 29. 1918.

1,340, 3 1 9. Patented May 18, 1920..

2 SHEETS-SHEET I- l V/TNESSES INVENTOR.

F. s. BRAID. PORTFOLIO DRAWER.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 29, 1918. 1,340,319. Patented May 18, 1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- an: 52m

I!-'/ YIN/5.8187118 FOUNTAIN S. BRAID, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

PORTFOLIO-DRAWER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented MaylS, 1920.

Application filed October 29, 1918. Serial No. 260,113.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FOUNTAIN S. BRAID, a citizen or" the United States, residing in New York city, in the borou h and county of Queens and State of New Fork, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Portfolio-Drawers, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to that class of filing systems" where talking-machine or phonograph disk records are contained in portfolios, albums or any suitable removable container, which is housed in a cabinet adapted to hold the same.

Under the prevailing systems it is necessary in order to gain access to the contents of these portfolios, albums or containers, to remove the same from the cabinet and hold in one hand or place upon a table or some suitable resting place, while the disengaged hand extracts the record so desired therefrom.

The object of my invention is to obviate this method by so constructing the portfolio-drawer or container and furnishing such mechanism that will hold the same in suspension in close proximity to its resting place from which it was drawn, allowing access to the same with freedom of the hands.

I have practically carried out my invention by furnishing a movable cradle upon which the portfolio-drawer or container can rest and slide. The cradle being furnished with a resistance plug, actuated by pressure to retard the movement of the same, when so desired, and portfolio-drawer supports to engage with straps or bearers, carried on the portfolio-drawer or container to hold the same in suspension. A strap or stop for holding the portfolio-drawer at a proper angle when open, also-connecting links regulating the amount to which the portfoliodrawer may be opened.

It also differs materially from the portfolio drawers previously shown, in many ways, as tollowsz'lt is self contained, its various members being assembled as a unit, and can be placed in a cabinet not previously designed for its occupancy and removed at will, as it is not necessary to attach or fasten any of its parts or accessories to the cabinet, or any part thereof. Its supporting members are underneath the portfolio-drawer, no part of same occupying space on either side of the portfolio-drawer, as in other designs, thus permitting the drawer to be made the full width of the compartment it occupies, (minus clearance for free movement) and furnishing means by which. the drawer can slide and be held in suspension without fastening any of its parts to the cabinet, in which it; is contained.

Although this system is designed for the filing of disk records for talking-machines or phonographs there are many other uses for which it may be employed.

The accompanying drawings form a part of this specification to show the manner in which I have carriedout my invention.

Figure 1 represents a perspective view looking at the side of theportfolio-drawer or container, with its accompanying parts and resting in its cradle, showing side and back of same and top of portfolio-drawer, the whole forming a unit; Fig. 2, represents a perspective view of the portfolio-drawer or container resting in the cradle, looking from the back, showing top and side of portfolio-drawer or container, also resistance plug in cradle; Fig. 3, represents a plan view looking at the bottom of the portfoliodrawer or container, with its accompanying parts and cradle, the whole forming a unit; Fig. 1 represents a perspective View of the side, top and back of portfolio-drawer resting in cradle as adapted to Figs. 13 and 14; Fig. 5, represents a front view of the file binder and its partitions contained in the portfolio-drawer or container; Fig. 6, rep-,

resents an end view of the same; Fig. 7, represents an index indicating the contents of the binder in the container; Fig. 8, represents an enlarged view of parts 6 and 8, showing portfolio-drawer support resting in one of the four bottom members of the cragrepresents an enlarged view of the front view of a talking-machine cabinet (which is no part of my invention) where the portfolio-drawers rest with their greater dimension vertical rather than horizontal, as shown in Figs. 11 and 12, with my invention adapted to the same; Fig. lt, represents a sectional view of Fig. 13, at the dotted line V W.

Similar numerals refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

Number 1 is the top and 2 is the bottom of the portfolio-drawer or container, which in this case is made of metal although wood, paste-board or any other suitable material may be used. 1 and 2 are held together by means of hinges 3. r at is the front piece, which is made of wood to match the wood in the cabinet to which the unit is to be adapted, and is fastened to the container by means of the screws 37, or in any other suitable manner. 5 is the back of the cradle; the bottom is formed by the four pieces 6, which are fastened to 5 by means of the screws 1&.

Numbers 7 are two straps, known as bearers, fastened to the bottom of the portfoliodrawer by rivets 15. 8 is a piece of wire formed in the shape of the letter C, and known as the portfolio-drawer support, which rests in a cut out in the end of pieces 6, as shown in Fig. 8, and are held in posi tion by supporting the ends in holes drilled in the sides of parts 6. They are so placed that the part of them that is exposed between the upper part of 7 and the bottom of the portfolio-drawer will allow the portfolio-drawer to slide back and forth upon the cradle without their interference and acting as a support by engaging with the ends of the strap, which acts as a bearing to hold the portfolio-drawer in suspension. 9 are two links which move on the pins 10 and hold the portfolio-drawer and cover in correct position when open. The resistance plug 12 is a metal cylinder having a disk 11 pressed in its ends. This resistance plug fits in the hole provided in the back member of the cradle with the one end of spring 13 pressing against the bottom of the hole and the other end pressing against the resistance plug, which in turn presses against the top or side (as desired) of the compartment in which the cradle is contained and offers re sistance which retards the movement of the cradle.

The file binder indicated by the numeral 16, as shown in Figs. 5, 6 and 12, is one of several which may be used with the portfolio-drawer (and is shown to illustrate the adaptation of the portfolio-drawer to the filing of disk records) and is no part of the invention.

Number 27 is a piece of leather, tape or any other suitable material as shown in Figs.

12 and 141, and is used as a stop for holding portfolio-drawer or contalner in the desired position, when drawn from its resting place, when open. 28 are rivets for fastening the same to the bottom of the portfolio-drawer. 29 are screws for fastening same to the back of cradle as shown in Figs. 12 and 14.

In Figs. 1, 11, 12, 13 and 14 the portfoliodrawer or container knobs are represented by the numeral 80. The designating letters for each portfolio-drawer or container are represented by 32, these being no part of my invention. 31 in Fig. 12 represents the path described'by the end of the portfolio-drawer swinging on its axis (a), which is created by the end of the strap bearing on the portfolio-drawer support 8.

The operation is as follows: Assuming that the portfolio-drawer or container is at rest, as shown by container B, Fig. 12, with the disk 11 pressing against the sides of the compartment, guided by the cylinder 12 which is contained in the cradle back 5 and actuated by the spring 13, we draw upon the knob 30. This resistance to the cradle permits the portfolio-drawer or container to slide or move upon the upper part of the four members 6, forming the bottom of the cradle, as shown by container E. This movement continues until the stap 7 engages with the portfolio-drawer support 8. The force of pulling knob 30 being greater than the resistance of the pressure produced by spring 13, the cradle is drawn along with the portfolio-drawer or container until the portfolio-drawer or container swinging on the box support, will clear anything in its path as described by the dotted line 31 and shown by container Gr, thereby allowing the portfolio-drawer or container to descend by gravity until the strap 27, as shown by container A, stops its movement. We then open the container by its top and bottom swinging on hinges 3, and the connecting links 9, holding it open. This makes the contents accessible as heretofore described.

I claim:

1. In combination, with a portfoliodrawer, a cradle formed of back and bottom pieces designed to rest upon the shelf of a cabinet for support, being free to move thereon, devoid of any guide pieces or fastenings to either shelf or cabinet, and upon which the portfolio-drawer may rest and slide, the straps 7, engaging with the portfolio-drawer supports 8, all substantially as set forth.

2. In combination with a portfoliodrawer, a cradle which can rest on the shelf of a cabinet and slide thereon, so designed that the bottom of the portfolio-drawer may rest thereon, with freedom to slide, and said cradle to be free from any fastenings, guides or connections to shelf or cabinet, mechanism adapted to retard the forward movement of said cradle by friction, so that the portfoliodrawer may be drawn forward without disturbing the position of the cradle, the same offering resistance for a given period, all substantially as set forth.

3. In combination with a portfoliodrawer, a cradle formed of back and bottom pieces designed to rest upon the shelf of a cabinet for support, being free to slide thereon without any guide or fastenings to the shelf or cabinet whatsoever, a frictional resistance piece on cradle engaging with either the inner side of the cabinet or a shelf, so as to retard the forward movement of the cradle for a given period, the straps 7 and portfolo-drawer supports 8, all substantially as set forth.

4. In combination with a portfoliodrawer, the cradle, (upon which the portfolio-drawer rests and slides) the straps 7 box-supports 8, all serving as a means to hold the portfolio-drawer in suspension when open, the disk 11, cylinder 12, and spring 13, all adaptable to be housed in a cabinet, all substantially as set forth to maintain the cradle in a state of rest when so desired, all combined and assembled as a 25 unit, independent of any cabinet and adaptable to a cabinet (having shelves), not previously designed for its reception, the housing and functioning of said unit, to be accomplished without any fastenings of same 30 FOUNTAIN S. BRAID. Witnesses MAUD BRAID, FOUNTAIN S. BRAID, Jr. 

